Thursday, September 17, 2015

9 “Ugly” Animals Going Extinct That Need Love Too

Biologist, science communicator and comedian Simon Watt
founded the society because he was bored of people always asking
questions about the same more aesthetically pleasing endangered species,
like pandas and tigers. “I do a lot of lectures about biology and
spreading the word about conservation as a whole,” he told BuzzFeed
Science. “I got very bored of people always asking the same questions
about the same species.”

1. Proboscis Monkey (Nasalis larvatus)

There’s a very good reason male proboscis monkeys
have huge, fleshy noses: because the female proboscis monkeys can’t get
enough of it. Sadly, over the last 40 years, the numbers of proboscis
monkeys have decreased rapidly.

4. Bald-headed Uakari (Cacajao calvus)

Bald-headed uakari
are social, intelligent creatures. However, they currently face
extinction since their habitat is threatened by the timber industry, and
they are often hunted by indigenous peoples for food.

6. Aquatic Scrotum Frog (Telmatobius culeus)

The Titicaca water frog is nicknamed the “scrotum frog” because of
the extremely loose skin that hangs from its body. Its population has
rapidly declined over the past 20 years, mostly due to over-harvesting
for human consumption.

9. Greater Adjutant (Leptoptilos dubius)

The greater adjutant
has a slow gait resembling a military officer’s, which is where it gets
its name. They have a very small population, declining rapidly.

Watt’s favourite
ugly animal is the blue-grey taildropper slug. “If you scare it, its bum
falls off” he said. “It’s a very cool way of avoiding predators. If
something grabs hold of you, you can just lose your tail.”

Simon Watt

The society focuses on animals that are locally or globally endangered.

They hold events including comedy tours where
six comedians each champion a different endangered species. At the end
the audience votes and the winner becomes the “Ugly Animal Mascot” for
that city or town.

Earlier this year, Dublin voted for the lesser horseshoe bat to be
the city’s ugly animal mascot. “I don’t think it’s globally endangered
but it’s locally endangered there,” Watt said. “[It] meant that the
people in the audience could go out and do something a bit more
hands-on.”

“We think it’s possible that maybe 200 or so species are becoming extinct every single day,” Watt said.

“The crisis is as bad as that. We’re trying to
get more people talking about conservation as a whole. Using comedy to
talk about it is as good a way as any.”

You can find out more about the society on their website, or find them on Twitter.